by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Cost overruns stemming from the Super Bowl have left the City with some outstanding invoices. But hopes of quickly passing legislation to satisfy those approximate $1.8 million obligations were dashed Monday morning as a testy City Council committee stressed they weren’t quite ready to authorize any check writing just yet.
Originally the Mayor’s office had hoped the legislation, which was introduced on May 10, would endure an abbreviated legislative cycle before returning for a vote at the Council meeting next Tuesday. But aside from quibbling over just how much money would be allocated to cover any shortfalls at this time, the Council’s Finance Committee also questioned who, besides the City, should be chipping in to help pay for them.
The City originally proposed to pay off those overages using $1.2 million in surplus hotel bed tax revenue and another $600,000 that had been budgeted but not spent on Super Bowl-related overtime at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The committee was largely agreeable to using the bed tax money, but several members want to look for a way to keep the JSO money, which would revert back to the City’s general fund. A grant from the Duval County Tourist Development Commission could be one way to make up the balance. Several council members recommended the TDC review the matter to see if it merits a grant.
“Has anyone looked to those TDC dollars as an option?” Council member Art Shad said. “This, to me, looks like a perfectly legitimate expense that they could help cover. I know they support events that promote tourism in the area and you would think that the Super Bowl is the largest event of that nature that has ever been in Jacksonville.
“The TDC should look into doing something especially now that we face a more restrictive budget this year.”
Council member Lad Daniels, who pulls double duty on the TDC, said a grant could be an option.
“I think it would be smart for us to recommend using the bed tax revenue now and then talk to the TDC,” he said. “Once we get a better understanding of what our options are, we can go from there.”
Most on the committee voted to hold onto the legislation until the next committee cycle in two weeks. Lone holdout Daniel Davis wants to go even slower. Calling the legislation “premature,” Davis said he wanted the City to take its time while establishing what commitments, financial or otherwise, it made to the Host Committee while finalizing Super Bowl plans last year.
“I’d like to know what role we agreed to take,” he said. “If there are recorded minutes from any meetings that took place, I’d like to see them.”